UK

17-Jan-2011rabble.ca

On Friday morning, a group of protesters invaded Britain’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and are demanding a meeting with Stephen Green, the new minister for trade. Calling themselves the "Big Society Trade Negotiators," they are concerned that trade negotiations between the EU and Canada, due to start in Brussels on Monday, will dramatically boost Europe’s involvement in the Canadian tar sands — the most destructive project on earth.

16-Oct-2009Reuters

Durban-based Illovo Sugar — Africa’s biggest producer, majority-owned by British Sugar — said it plans to raise output by 50 percent to nearly 3 million tonnes in the next five years to cash in on the new tariff-free EU access.

31-Aug-2009The Telegraph

Informed sources say that, nearly a year after Lord Mandelson stepped down as European Trade Commissioner to return to the Cabinet, he has continued to push personally for a new and quick European Union (EU) trade deal with Libya.

23-Jan-2009ITN

The United Kingdom has formally declined to release a notice of arbitration delivered by an Indian citizen under the UK-India bilateral investment treaty, explaining that it would likely “prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and an international organisation; UNCITRAL.”

15-Jul-2008Mmegi Mobile

While government officials promise the EPAs will bring more jobs and beef market openings for Botswana, Botswana unions believe they are nothing but recolonisation of ACP countries and say ’the EU is coming back to deplete our (African) resources’.

26-Jul-2007AME Info

UK businesses are increasingly likely to lose out to the US on valuable Gulf export opportunities because it is taking so long for the EU to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the region’s key states, says Trowers & Hamlins, the international law firm.

1-Feb-2007The Guardian

The UK House of Commons international development committee is calling on the Labour government to press for sanctions against Israel over its treatment of the Palestinian people. As a first step in putting pressure on the Israeli government to end this oppression, the UK should now urge its fellow members in the EU to consider suspending the EU-Israel association agreement, the cross-party committee says.

17-Dec-2006Aljazeera

Originating as it does from illegally occupied land, settlement produce is supposed to be excluded from the preferential treatment which Israeli exports to the UK enjoy under the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

11-Oct-2006Times of India

Britain and the European Union urgently need an unprecedented new free trade pact with India, the UK’s leading organization representing 240,000 businesses and 80 of the FTSE’s 100 companies has demanded.

15-Sep-2006

Mining company Oxus Gold PLC said it is seeking an arbitration order to protect its investments in Kyrgyzstan, following the government-sponsored seizure of premises owned by Talas Gold Mining Co, Oxus’ joint venture company at Jerooy. Oxus said that representatives of Jerooyaltyn, a recently created joint venture between Kyrgyzaltyn and Global G.o.l.d, and local police forcibly took possession of the building on Thursday in direct contravention of the UK-Kyrgyz Bilateral Investment Treaty and Kyrgyz law.

14-Jun-2006The Guardian

Rather than rebuke Israel, the UK and its fellow EU member states are actually sitting down today with Israeli representatives in Brussels to seal the continuation of the EU-Israel association agreement. The agreement grants Israel important trading preferences for its exports into the EU, even though these are supposedly conditional on respect for human rights from both sides.

8-Jun-2006

His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, Britain’s Duke of York, will discuss trade and investment with Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Somkid Jatusripitak here Thursday with an aim to strengthen bilateral trade ties between the United Kingdom and Thailand.

16-Jan-2006The Hindu

The United Kingdom has proposed that India and the European Union enter into a Free Trade Agreement. The suggestion was made by the visiting UK Trade Minister, Ian Pearson, to Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath, who said India would be "open" to the idea.

5-Nov-2004CAFOD

CAFOD is asking the UK government to hold the EU to drop all ‘offensive interests’ in the EPA negotiations in Africa and provide African countries ‘alternative’ non-reciprocal trade relationships that are not free trade areas

3-Sep-2019Via Campesina

La Via Campesina is calling upon its members and allies to not be misled by the smokescreen of a ‘weakening WTO’ and be aware of the new age mega and bilateral free trade agreements are equally if not more harmful.

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